Losing a part of yourself
by fire-emblem-girl
Summary: Itsuki and Mutsuki are twins, always together but they picked the wrong village to be born into...better summary inside.T for safety.chapter 3 is up!
1. Chapter 1

Hey everybody! I said I was doing a Fatal Frame: Crimson Butterfly fic and here it is. The chapters may take awhile because I want to make sure everything is fairly accurate and everything. Plus I am writing this without any real idea of where it is going, I usually make up stories in my head before typing them up but not this time. Anyway, it's gonna be about Itsuki simply because I have just reached a really sad part in the game involving him so I wanted to write a fic about him. Anyway, it'll start off when he's little so…yeah! Now, on with it! Oh and born first means younger in this for the sake of being true to the actual game information. Tell me what you think of this fic, constructive critisim only please!

Chapter One: The Twins of All God's Village. 

All God's Village. A small primative town that seemed to be frozen in the ways of the past. While the rest of Japan embraced new advancements in technology and different traditions this town did not. They were forever in the time of the old. Even after hundreds of years All God's Village did not change. Rituals were performed to appease an X under the village. Twins were revered and were used as sacrifices in a special ritual only known as the Crimson Sacrifice. Butterflies had significant meaning in All God's Village for they were also part of the sacrifice. It was said that if the elder twin killed the younger that the X under the village would be appeased. The twin that was left alive was known as The Remaining. Remainings were feared and respected though often became quiet and refused human contact. A Remaining could be recognized by their snow-white hair, which was an effect of performing the ritual. The body of the other twin was thrown into the X. If the ritual was successful a crimson butterfly would fly out of the abyss and all would be well until another ritual was needed. If the ritual failed however the village would be plunged into darkness and the dead would crawl out of the X destroying the town. This was known as the repentance and served as atonement for the village's sins. If a pair of twins was not available another ritual had to take place in order for the X to be appeased. The Hidden Ritual was performed by using an outsider not from the village and torturing them usually until insanity. It was said that the more this outsider or suffered the longer the X would be appeased. However, the kusabi ritual was only considered a success if the person remained alive until their body was thrown into the X. The year is 1876, a new pair of twins is born into the village…

"Twins…They're twins…"

The man looked at the two identical newborn boys in his wife's arms. _So…They will be used in the ritual…_While the parents of the children were happy to have finally concieved children the initial happiness was overshadowed by the fact that when the time came one of the children had to die for the sake of the village. But… a child had to be sacrificed for everyone. Until the time came nobody would say anything about the ritual; they would wait until the boys were older.

"Mutsuki come on, let's go see Yae and Sae!" the older of the two boys called.

"Wait for me Itsuki! You know I can't run as fast as you nii-chan!"

The boy stopped and turned around to wait for his younger brother. It was true; Mutsuki wasn't as fast as Itsuki was. Their father said to always spend time with each other while they still could. Neither boy knew what their father meant but took his advice anyway; they were inseperable.

"Come on Mutsuki, Yae and Sae are waiting for us!" Itsuki exclaimed impatiently. His brother was still only halfway to him and he'd been waiting for a long time.

"I-I know! I-I'm not fast enough…"

That always made Itsuki feel bad, his brother didn't mean to be so slow but Itsuki always tried to push him.

"I'm sorry Mutsuki…take your time."

Mutsuki started to run even though he knew he shouldn't and nearly fell twice before making it to his older brother but he was fine even if he was out of breath.

"I told you to take your time…You know you shouldn't run Mutsuki."

"I-I'm not a baby, I can do what I want," Mutsuki replied and began to pout. Hadn't Itsuki been the one who had just told him to hurry up?

"…Sorry…I know. Forgive me?" Itsuki asked with a smile identical to his twin's.

"I'll have to think about it…"

Itsuki looked at the ground and felt tears form in his eyes. He didn't want his brother to be angry with him as long as they lived.

"I was only kidding nii-chan! Of course I forgive you!" Mutsuki cried and embraced his brother and even smiled to reassure him.

Itsuki laughed even though he was almost crying and took his brother's hand.

"Come on Mutsuki, now we're _really _late to meet Yae and Sae."

They walked across Whisper Bridge that led to the Kurosawa house still holding hands. Kurosawa house was the most powerful house in the village and like Tachibana house they had twins. Two girls. Yae the elder and Sae the younger. Both sets of twins were best friends and tried to see each other whenever they could.

The two Kurosawa twins were already standing outside the front gate of their house and ran to meet Mutsuki and Itsuki as soon as they saw them start walking across the bridge.

"Itsuki-kun! Mutsuki-kun!" they called in unison.

Mutsuki just smiled in greeting, he was the quieter of the two boys but if he wanted to say something he was quick to make his opinion known.

"Sae-chan, Yae-chan, are you ready to go?" Itsuki asked and grinned along with his brother.

The two girls were clothed in their usual white kimono and thong sandals. Their short dark brown hair was cut in the okappa style though most other girls in the village wore their hair as long as they could.

The four children nearly ran to the place were they usually played near Misono Hill but Itsuki stopped to walk with his brother and everyone else gradually followed suit.

"Can we play tag when we get there Sae?" Yae asked excitedly.

"Yae…you know Mutsuki can't run that well…" the younger Kurosawa twin answered with a guilty looking glance in Mutsuki's direction.

"I can. I'll just rest if I get tired," Itsuki's brother replied. He didn't want anyone to feel sorry for him just because his one leg was a little bit weak.

"Are you sure nii-chan? We could always play something else," Itsuki offered for all of them.

"Of course I'm sure."

So it was decided. When they got to the hill Sae was chosen to be 'it' and all the rest went to hide as she gave them a twenty-second head start.

Yae decided not to hide and waited for her sister to stop counting and find her right out in the open. Itsuki and Mutsuki hid part way down the path to Misono Hill and heard Yae squeal as her sister finished counting.

"I'm going to get you Yae!"

"No you aren't! No you aren't!"

Itsuki and Mutsuki didn't immerge from their hiding place until they heard Yae and Sae coming down the hill.

"There they are Sae!" Yae cried and pointed at the two boys running down the hill.

"Come back here Itsuki and Mutsuki-kun! We'll get you!" Sae yelled.

Itsuki looked back and saw his brother struggling to keep up. He stopped and waited for Mutsuki to catch up then grabbed his hand and kept running.

"Come-come on Mutsuki, once we get down to the village we can hide there."

"O-okay…"

They ran down the rest of the way then ran toward Osaka house. Yae and Sae were catching up but neither boy cared, they were having too much fun to care about being caught.

They ran by Osaka house and turned left. Both boys held their breath and waited until Sae and Yae ran in the opposite direction of them.

"We-we did it. They'll never find us now!" Itsuki whispered.

Mutsuki didn't answer but nodded as he took deep breaths.

"Are you okay nii-chan? I knew I should have slowed down for awhile," Itsuki said a few minutes later. His brother was still out of breath but laughed to show that he was okay.

Itsuki waited for his brother to catch his breath then quietly began walking in the direction Yae and Sae had.

"Let's go scare them Mutsuki," Itsuki said quietly.

Mutsuki nodded and they both walked in the direction of the storehouse, which was where Yae and Sae probably were.

"Sae, where could they have gone? Are you sure they came this way?"

"Um… no…I wasn't sure really…"

Mutsuki and Itsuki laughed quietly to themselves as Yae sighed in exasperation and said that she and Sae should go check in the other direction. The twin girl's sandals made a slapping sound as they walked and it grew louder and louder as they approached the two boys.

"Come on Mutsuki, we'll hide behind… uh oh…"

"Hey! There they are!" Yae yelled.

Itsuki put his hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay. You win."

Yae and Sae ran over to them and tagged them both. "We win!"

"This time. But next time you won't be so lucky," Itsuki replied with a grin.

Before any of the children knew it nightime was fast approaching and they all had to hurry home. They weren't allowed outside after dark. Itsuki and Mutsuki's house was just across the bridge from Yae and Sae's so they got to walk home with each other until Tachibana house was right in front of them.

"Bye Itsuki and Mutsuki-kun," Yae and Sae said at the same time.

Itsuki said goodbye and Mutsuki did too for once. Then they parted ways and went to their own homes for dinner.

"Itsuki?"

"What is it nii-chan?" Itsuki asked. His brother looked so serious that he was afraid of what he would say.

"Don't…Don't tell mother and father about me playing tag…okay?"

Itsuki almost laughed with relief. Of course, his brother was afraid of what their parents would say if they found out Mutsuki was playing games that tired him out.

"I wont," the older of the two twins answered.

"You promise?"

"I promise."

The two of them went to their room right away to try and get the dirt off of their clothes. Their mother would not be happy if she saw them both covered in dirt. Mutsuki had an easier time of it because it was Itsuki who was lying down on the hill, not him.

"Oh, why did I have to lie down in the dirt?" Itsuki asked noone in particular.

"You know you take all these games of tag too seriously," Mutsuki who was sitting on the floor waiting for his brother to get cleaned up said.

"But it's fun… if only there was a way to have fun but not get dirty…"

"There is. Be careful," Mutsuki replied and laughed as Itsuki continued trying to get more of the dirt off of his beige shirt.

"Aw Mutsuki…it isn't that funny."

Mutsuki stood up and hugged his brother. "Maybe you'll learn your lesson next time."

"…I won't. I guess we should go to dinner now. Mother's calling us."

The two boys walked down the long hallways of Tachibana house together as always.

* * *

I know, that was a stupid place to end it but…I have to go draw a map of Tachibana, Kiryu and Kurosawa house. Anyway, this is not the end; it will keep going until… in regards to Itsuki and Mutsuki's age in this chapter. They're about 6 or 7 I guess. No names are given for their parents, no ages are given for Chitose or when the two boys perform the ritual so I picked a year in the middle of the estimated years they were born. Sae and Yae are the same age as Mutsuki and Itsuki as they were probably born around the same time. Next chapter they will be about…13 or 14 and that's when Chitose will enter the picture. Just to let you know, there will be spoilers later on regarding notebooks and such. Anyway, that's all. Oh, and if anybody can give me the name of the kind of clothes Mutsuki and Itsuki wear that'd be a big help! 


	2. Chapter 2

Well, it's the second chapter. I got 2 reviews for the first! Yay! Reviewer responses! This will be done mostly in the first person Pov. Just because.

Yunchen: thanks so much for your review, I was afraid no one would review it! Thanks for the positive feedback and you're right, it does say only sometimes does the remaining's hair turns white…oops.

Kouichikimura4eva: thanks for reviewing bell! Mutsuki and Itsuki are quite adorable aren't they? Lol.

Anyway, onward!

Chapter 2: Chitose 

Itsuki's POV

Mother and father say Mutsuki and I are to have another sibling. I hope it's a little sister really and I know mother does too which is why I hope so too. Maybe if we both want a girl it will be a girl. I also hope she's not a twin like Mutsuki and I are. I've heard bad things about other twins from this village something about a ritual. But I don't want to think about that right now because it's too horrible.

"Itsuki? What are you thinking about?" Mutsuki asked quietly. I haven't told him about the things I've heard but he knows I'm keeping something from him.

"Nothing really. Just our new brother or sister."

"Oh. You want it to be a girl like mother does, don't you?" he asked. He's full of questions today.

"Yes. Wouldn't it be fun to have a little sister Mutsuki? When she's older I'll bet she'll look just like mother and all the boys in the village will be chasing after her. So we'll have to make sure they're nice to her, won't we?"

He just smiled and nodded. I know I should tell him about this ritual but I don't want to tell him before I have to. Before the sacrifice takes place. I'll have to tell Yae and Sae too but it'll be okay because they'll have time to run away so they won't have to do it. I don't want them to have to perform the ritual ever.

Mutsuki and I waited for a long time for our new brother or sister. Neither of us could wait but in the back of my mind thoughts of the ritual ran rampant. Every month that went by, every hour that passed was one step closer to the ritual. I don't care about saving the village. There must be another way. Finally on a warm spring day our sister came. The doctors said she might not be able to see very well and that made mother upset. But I know that Mutsuki and I will take care of her so everything will be all right.

5 years later

Chitose's POV.

I can't remember my mommy. Itsuki says that she's gone away but I want to know where. Mutsuki says he doesn't want to talk about it whenever I ask him. My daddy is always working in the village so I don't see him that much, but that's okay, I have my big brothers to take care of me. Today we're going to see Sae and Yae, they live in the big house across the scary bridge but Itsuki says that it's okay, he won't let me fall in the water.

I like Yae a lot, Sae is nice to me but Yae is nicer. She lets me play with her dolls when we go over to her house. Sae says that I can't play with hers because I might break them. But she only says that when my brothers aren't around. She's so funny sometimes.

There's a place Yae's house we're not allowed to go into, her daddy says if we ever enter that room we'll die instantly so we never want to go there. Maybe one day I'll sneak in there and see what's there but not today, Itsuki would be upset if I got into any trouble.

Itsuki's POV 3rd person. 

Itsuki grabbed onto his little sister's hand. She always did hate going over Whisper Bridge, maybe it was because she couldn't see very well and was afraid to fall in the water and drown like a woman had long ago. Chitose was always very curious about everything so he had to watch her all the time so she didn't get into trouble. She was afraid of most people though. On the way home she would probably ask about the dilapidated old house that was connected to theirs. She always did even though he didn't know who lived there or why it was usually locked.

Mutsuki had a hold on Chitose's other hand as well, they both promised if she fell off the bridge at least one of them would be able to jump in and save her though in reality neither Itsuki or Mutsuki could swim.

They continued to walk until they got to Kurosawa house, Yae and Sae usually waited for them inside the front gates now. Both sets of twins were watched more closely now but only Itsuki knew the reason. The ritual. It was coming and he knew it but he could do nothing to stop it. Soon Mutsuki would know too and then…

"Itsuki Itsuki, we're here, we're here!" Chitose exclaimed happily.

He smiled at her and was about to let go of her hand when she grabbed on tighter.

"Nii-san you have to protect me!" his little sister said with a giggle.

"From what? We're over the bridge now."

She pulled him down so she could whisper in his ear.

"The monsters!" she screamed and ran toward Kurosawa house.

Of course both Mutsuki and Itsuki got dragged along with her but they didn't mind. They were happy as long as she was.

Itsuki laughed, "What monsters? I don't see any monsters. Unless… you're calling Yae and Sae monsters? That's not very nice!"

Chitose gasped, "No! Yae and Sae are my friends nii-san!"

The two twin girls were waiting for them right inside the front door of the huge house but they could obviously hear everything that went on outside so they had heard the three of them coming.

Yae and Sae waved from where they were sitting and smiled at them all. Chitose who was always shy when it came to people gave a small wave and moved closer to her brothers. Itsuki didn't know why Chitose was still a bit timid around the other pair of twins but she would probably get over it eventually.

"We thought you would take-"

"Forever," Yae finished for her sister. The two girls tended to finish each other's sentances and say the same thing at the same time unintentionally. Itsuki and Mutsuki never did that but Itsuki almost wished they would, it seemed that Sae and Yae were closer than the two boys were to each other. That bothered Itsuki sometimes, he wanted to be as close as he could to his brother before the ritual took place.

But he shook those thoughts from his head, now was not the time to feel sorry for himself. Mutsuki was always brave so Itsuki would be too; he wanted to be like his brother.

The girls weren't allowed to go out that much anymore so the group of them went to the twin's room to play. Chitose stayed close to her brothers until Yae asked her if she wanted to play with the dolls with her. Sae stayed with Itsuki and Mutsuki while they sat there watching over their sister.

"Itsuki, come with me, I want to show you something," Sae whispered.

He looked at her and raised and eyebrow. What would she want to show him that was so important that she would hide it even from her sister? Itsuki looked over at Mutsuki who pretended that he hadn't heard anything.

The two got up and left when Yae and Chitose weren't looking. Sae grabbed his hand and started to run as quietly as she could. Maybe this was so important that she didn't want her father to know either? Regardless Itsuki ran with her and tried to keep quiet.

Then ran down the long cloth hallway and to the Family Altar Room. Itsuki had never been inside but he knew that they weren't allowed to be in this part of the house. So if they weren't allowed why was Sae going there? He was about to ask her when she suddenly stopped. She reached into the folds of her kimono and pulled out a small key. Sae stuck the key in the lock and turned it. A second later there was a click and they pulled open a door each.

The Family Altar room was huge and was adorned with many decorations and pictures of the dead. Offerings from days previous to this one could be seen on the small ledge of the altar where fruit or other food or gifts were placed. A big box made out of glass surrounded a lot of the main altar though most others were out in the open.

Sae beckoned him to follow her and he quickly matched her stride, he didn't want to be left behind. They walked down two flights of stairs in the right corner of the room closest to the door they had entered through and got to a small wooden door. It was unlocked unlike most other doors in this part of the house.

The two then walked down a short hall and up a set of stairs until they reached a previously undiscovered part of the house.

Two long identical pathways led to two identical doors at the end. From what Itsuki could see the doors led inside to another part of the building. Sae seemed excited but Itsuki wasn't. This sounded very familiar to him and just looking down the paths made him uneasy. But he doubted Sae would let him leave now, she looked too curious to miss out on her chance to see inside of the forbidden area.

"You go one way and I'll go the other," Sae said with a smile. She at least seemed to know what was going on.

Itsuki as apprehensive as he was just nodded and went down the path on the left.

At the end her found himself face to face with Sae and standing on a part in the floor that went down when he stood on it. The door in front of each of them opened simultaneously and not knowing what else to do Itsuki walked through.

Once inside they were stopped by yet another door. Two double doors again. Sae seemed to have the key for everything and opened the doors.

The room they were now in was strange, like an octagon or hexagon. Ropes hung from poles in each of the points the room intersected. In the middle was a pan like thing but Itsuki didn't know where it went other than outside because cold air could be felt blowing through the cracks. All he knew was that he wanted out of this place, the feeling he had earlier had worsened and he kept looking at Sae for any indication that she wanted to leave.

"I wonder where this door leads to. Itsuki, What's wrong?"

"…I don't know…I'm worried about Chitose let's go back," he lied.

"But…oh, okay."

They turned back the way they came and made their way to Sae and Yae's room as quietly as they could. Mutsuki was still sitting in the same place and didn't look at them when they returned. Yae and Chitose were still playing loudly so they hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary.

Itsuki sat down next to his brother and said nothing. He didn't know what had scared him so much about that place but no matter how hard he tried he couldn't shake the feeling that bad things had happened there.

"Nii-chan, are you alright?" Mutsuki asked quietly.

"Yes, I'm fine…"

Chitose looked back at the two boys so they both smiled at her. Itsuki didn't want to worry anyone so he would just keep quiet about what had happened. Maybe it had all been in his imagination.

* * *

Well, gonna end it there. Itsuki and Mutsuki were a lot older in this chapter than they were in the first. Chitose is around five so assuming they were 9 at the start of this chapter they are 14 in the later parts. The next part will be basically when the others find out about the ritual. I'm assuming Yae and Sae were told about the same time as Mutsuki and Itsuki simply because if something were to go wrong the other set of twins wouldn't have to be informed. Itsuki knows about the ritual only because he overheard villagers talking about it sometime and as we all know the villagers would be happy it's taking place as they want to save their own skins. Itsuki probably wouldn't have much of a sixth sense as I'm going to assume Mutsuki had (it seems to be a pattern that the younger (by the AGV standards) had a stronger 6th sense.) so he probably would have only gotten a bad feeling and a desire to get out of the place as we know that that is where the forbidden ritual starts (the beating up of the kusabi). that's all for now! 


	3. Chapter 3

Well, here I am again on my own...sorry. i don't even like that song. O.o. anywhoo. it's been a long while since i have updated, i'm sorry. i'm kinda in a slump right now, probably because it's back to school and yada yada yada. i'll try to update more often. HA. anyway reviewer responses!

Yunchen: I'm not exactly sure, Sae doesn't really seem the type to listen to her gut she acts like she would care more about what her emotions were telling her like: CRY NOW! and she'd cry but if her insticts told her to get out of a place she would probably just think hey! alone time with itsuki! lol, so yeah, lets just say she was really curious(who wouldn't be)/ wanted to be alone with itsuki as they seemed really close and she would probably confide in him about some special room more than she would mutsuki who's quiet and reserved.

Dharknia: no problem, i love your story:P thanks for your review and nice words!

RottenDarkness: thanks so much, i'm glad you like it!

Dying Redemption: will do!

Anyway, onward!

Chapter 3: The Ritual

Itsuki's POV(1st person)

I heard the ceremony master speaking with my parents last night. He said that the X is rumbling, that the ritual must be performed. I'm scared. I don't want to do it. I should be happy to help the village and I know that I won't be the one to die and I also know that I'm sixteen now and shouldn't fear such things. But I do. I don't want to kill Mutsuki. It isn't fair. What will become of Chitose and I? Mother and father almost never take care of our my little sister anymore even though she's almost blind. Why does it have to be like this? I want to run away. Far away from this village. I would bring Sae and Yae and Chitose too. Nobody should have to suffer like this. Why do the villagers believe all of this nonsense about the X? They say if someone looks into the X they become blind and have to be mourners after that. Why does it have to be like this?

Itsuki's POV(3rd)

Itsuki and Mutsuki sat down beside each other in front of the ceremony master. They were in Kurosawa house but it scarcely felt as such. Yae and Sae were nowhere in sight but Itsuki knew they would be getting the same talk afterwards. Both sets of twins were needed because if Mutsuki and Itsuki's ritual were to somehow fail Sae and Yae would need to be prepared to perform the ritual themselves. Itsuki couldn't believe that the head of the Kurosawa household would actually let his own daughters die for some stupid abyss, what kind of father was he? _Selfish. Everyone here is so selfish. They would rather allow their own children to die rather than themselves..._ he thought as he waited for the cermony master to finish his speech. Itsuki already knew what would happen but was surprised when he heard that he and Mutsuki wouldn't be able to leave the Tachibana and Kiryu houses until the ritual. Now Chitose would suffer too. She loved to go outside but she wasn't allowed to go out alone because of her sight and now there would be nobody to bring her. Itsuki silently steamed over the news but tried not to let on to the ceremony master that he was angry. _Let him take us but don't make our little sister pay for us being twins..._

Once Ryokan Kurosawa was done talking he just walked away as if he hadn't just handed down a death sentance to one of the boys. Itsuki wanted to yell at him but refrained from doing so. Instead he turned to his younger brother. Mustuki looked no different than usual to most but being his brother Itsuki could tell he was scared and upset.

"It will be okay...We'll run away right Mutsuki?"

"...No...We can't do that Nii-chan...If we run...Sae and Yae will...they'll have to perform the ritual...I don't want them to Itsuki...It isn't fair to them," Mutsuki answered and avoided his eyes.

"I know...I don't want to do it...This is stupid...I hate living here..."

Mutsuki smiled slightly and embraced his older brother. "It will all be fine. We'll become one and then...We'll never be apart. Right?"

Itsuki sniffled for a second then straightened up. He had to be strong, he wasn't the one...He wasn't the one becoming a butterfly. So he had to at least pretend to be okay.

They walked down the long hallway that lead from the great hall to another hall. Itsuki wanted out of this place as quickly as possible. He never wanted to come back here again. He could feel Mutsuki's hand in his but he could derive no warm from it, everything seemed so cold now. Itsuki didn't want his brother to die. He didn't want to be the one to kill him. They were born together...Why couldn't they at least die together? Nothing was ever fair here...

Itsuki almost didn't see Sae and Yae walk by him and give both Mutsuki and Itsuki sympathetic looks. Twins...All because they were twins. They had to endure this torture because they looked identical.

When Itsuki and Mutsuki got back home Chitose was waiting for them just inside the door. She looked so happy Itsuki couldn't help but smile.

"Onii-san and onii-san! Welcome home!"

Mutsuki looked up and smiled at her though she probably couldn't physically see it. They both knew what she was really excited about was that they had promised to take her outside as soon as they got home. Of course Itsuki didn't much feel up to playing anymore but they had promised so they would keep it.

"Are we going now Onii-san? Are we?" Chitose asked excitedly.

Itsuki laughed and took her hand in his free one. "Yes, we're going now."

It was cold out but Chitose didn't seem to mind, she was too preoccupied with running around and laughing when either Itsuki or Mutsuki tried to chase her. It was fun playing around with their little sister and at least for a little while both boys forgot their troubles and just ran around until they were out of breath. Chitose of course ran alot longer than both of them and poked them when they sat down.

"Come on Onii-san! Just a little longer! Please?" she said but sat down beside them even though her crimson kimono would get dirty. It was her favourite one to wear she always said.

"We can't Chitose, look, Mutsuki's tired."

The little girl crawled over to Mutsuki and hugged him. "Gomen nasai nii-san!"

"No, it's okay. It was fun so I didn't even notice I was getting tired."

Itsuki looked over at his brother and sister. They looked so happy now and soon it would all be ruined. What would Chitose think when all of a sudden one of her brothers was gone? How would Itsuki tell her? Was he even allowed? There was no sense worrying about it now though, nothing could be changed. He would just have to see how everything turned out after the ritual.

"Oh, it's probably time for dinner Chitose, we should probably head back now. Okay?" Itsuki said with a smile. _Pretend for your little sister. Act as if nothing is wrong. Play the part that you aren't going to kill your brother in a short while...Do it for Chitose. She doesn't deserve to suffer for this._

The little girl made a face but laughed. She was probably hungry anyway, they had been outside for most of the day.

All three walked down the hill and towards their home which was past Osaka house. As they passed by Mrs Osaka just happened to come out of the building holding her newborn baby. The woman smiled at them both but there was sadness in her eyes. The Tachibana children had always been like sons to her when she had no child of her own. But...the X had to be appeased. Still, that didn't stop Mrs Osaka from feeling regret for the boy's plight.

"Hello Itsuki, Mutsuki and Chitose-chan," she said without looking at any of them, "I'm sorry..."

"Hi Osaka-san!" Chitose answered cheerfully. She couldn't see very well but Chitose knew everyone's body shape and voice.

"...Hello..." Itsuki and Mutsuki murmured in unison.

Mrs Osaka gave one last smile then hurried inside the house again. It was obvious to both brothers that she was truly sorry so they ignored her sudden departure and continued home.

As the children passed the Kiryu house Itsuki shuddered. He and his brother would be restricted to going in between that house and their own soon. It was all just a matter of time until the ceremony master saw fit to perform the sacrifice.

Once they made it home Itsuki and Mutsuki sought to be alone but they couldn't just abandon Chitose so they brought her to their bedroom. Everything was identical in their room. There was two of everything but soon...soon there would only be a need for one set of everything.

"Nii-san, are you sad? You sound sad. Really really really sad nii-san," Chitose commented, worry obvious in her voice. Was his sadness that noticeable? Could even his little sister hear the despair in his tone? Itsuki didn't want to alarm her so he just laughed.

"No, of course not! Why would I be sad hm?"

"I don't know nii-san...but you do. Both my nii-san sound so so sad. You can tell me big brothers, I promise I won't tell anyone if it's a secret!" the girl cried enthusiastically.

"There's nothing wrong Chitose. Really. Are you hungry, do want to go get something to eat now?" Mutsuki asked. Usually when the younger Tachinbana twin said anything it was final, no questions were asked. But not today.

"...Ohhh kay. Can we have onigiri for dinner? Can we?"

Itsuki raised an eyebrow though he doubted his little sister could see. "For dinner? Well, if you want. I'll have to see if we have the ingredients..."

"Yay yay yay!"

Itsuki didn't know why his sister would want onigiri of all things for dinner but he would make it for her if she wanted it so badly. Maybe he could get Mutsuki to help him for once in his life.

"Okay, we'll have it but...Mutsuki and Chitose, you have to work for your supper."

"Alright...But let me remind you of my delicate medical condition," Mutsuki said with a grin. He almost never joked about anything so that was unusual but Itsuki just brushed it off and laughed.

"Don't give me that. You're perfectly able to work in the kitchen and you know it!"

"I know I know. I was just kidding," Mutsuki replied and put his hands up in surrender.

"Well, let's get to it, the food isn't going to make itself!"

They walked through the hall that led to the staircase that would bring them to the kitchen. It wasn't so much a kitchen as it was a dirt floored room with a pot hanging over a fire pit. Itsuki knew perfectly well that they weren't supposed to make a fire without their parents around but it didn't matter, they were never around anyway.

He took a small pile of little twigs to help start the fire and then used a stone to get a spark that would get the fire burning. He waited until the kindling caught fire then blew on it to make it spread faster. Within a few minutes the fire was ready so he sent Chitose and Mutsuki out to the well to get some water to boil the rice in.

Itsuki looked at them walk away and suddenly wanted to follow them. His brother was disapearing...Tears sprung to his eyes but he blinked them back. If Chitose saw him crying she would know something was wrong for sure. So he put on the now familiar mask that hid his true feelings. When his sister and brother returned he saw they had already gottent the ingredients for the meal from the shack that held all of their cold foods. They were both smiling happily so Itsuki knew he should too; just while they were looking anyway.

"Okay, Mutsuki bring the water over here. I'll take the pot off of the fire and we'll pour it in...together...okay? Chitose wait there, I don't want you to somehow get burned," Itsuki said, his voice failing at the word together.

"Yes...I never knew how heavy water could be..." Mutsuki replied as he dragged the pail along beside him.

"...Let me help you..."

Chitose watched the two of them from afar. Her little eyes narrowed in suspicion; she knew something was wrong but her brothers wouldn't say what it was. She would have to find out so she could make them happy again. Her big brothers were all she had because he mommy and daddy were always working to pay for things. If something happened to either of them she would be sad.

"O-nii-san! Are you almost ready now?" She asked, there was only one way to find out what was wrong. That was to act as if she didn't want to know, then they would tell her!

"Yes. We're ready now Chitose!" her brothers called in unison.

She ran over to them, her hands full with the ingredients for their dinner. She knew that onigiri wasn't really a dinner food but she liked it alot and she knew her brothers did too.

A little while later all three children were sitting side by side eating their supper. Itsuki was good at making the fire but Mutsuki was better at shaping the onigiri than her oldest brother was. Even though they were twins they were really different sometimes.

"Nii-san...Where is mommy and daddy? Why don't they ever come home anymore?" Chitose asked both of her brothers.

They smiled at her and both messed up her hair affectionately. "What, you don't like our food making skills? Mommy and daddy are just really busy. You're asleep when they get home."

"Then tonight, I'm staying up until they get home!" the little girl said stubbornly.

"...Well, I suppose if you want to you can but you have to go straight to sleep afterwards alright imouto-chan?" Mutsuki replied quietly. Both boys knew their parents weren't coming home. They never did and probably never would again. The people that were supposedly their parents had abandoned them long ago to live with friends. They couldn't take the guilt of knowing that they were condemning their son to death by refusing to leave this place.

Chitose nodded quickly; she knew that was what her brothers wanted to hear. She wanted to see her parents so much, they never came to see her and she missed them even though she had her siblings. The pages of her diary were filled with words she wanted to say to her mommy and daddy. She hadn't seen them since she was very small.

"Well, let's get this mess cleaned up before mother and father get home..." Itsuki murmured mostly to reassure his sister that they were actually coming home even though it was all just a big lie.

"Okay!" she said cheerfully.

They got some more water and cleaned out the pot and then put everything back in it's original place. Mutsuki suggested that they all head to the twin's room so they could be more comfortable while they talked or played so that was their next destination.

It was nearly dark so Itsuki grabbed a candle and lit it from one of the others faintly glowing in the hallway. Why had his parents just run off like that? Just because Mutsuki was going to die was no reason to run out on them. Maybe the ceremony master had said something to them? He didn't know and he didn't intend to find out either.

"Hey, Chitose, do you want to tell ghost stories?" Mutsuki asked with a mischeivious smile.

"Yes yes yes! Please please please O-nii-san!"

Itsuki didn't think it was a good idea as Chitose would have nightmares but he wouldn't protest because his little sister wanted to tell ghost stories he'd let her tell ghost stories.

"Come on Itsuki, or are you scared?" Mutsuki asked.

"Of course not, ghosts aren't real."

They all gathered around the candle that Itsuki set on the floor and began to tell their stories. Mutsuki went first and at the end jumped up and yelled boo which effectively made both Chitose and Itsuki jump out of their skins. Chitose's story ended happily, the person woke up and it had all just been a bad dream. It was Itsuki's turn now but he had no story prepared. All he wanted was to wake up and have all of this ritual buisness be just a nightmare.

"Once there was an old man and he lived all alone on a hill. He had always wanted to live down in the village with all the others but couldn't because he had had white hair since childhood and was an outcast. People would come up to visit him and then leave quickly when they discovered what had happened to him to make his hair white, he was always alone so he learned magic and used it to make a little dog that would keep him company.

The old man was happy until one day a villager came up to the cabin on the hill and said the old man's dog had killed his animals. The old man assured that it wasn't his dog's fault, it never left the hill. Despite the old man's protests the villager had the dog badly injured so it couldn't move. The old man knew that the dog wouldn't survive like that, dogs liked to run and play so he let the dog die. After that the man was all alone again but he was happy because he knew that something bad would happen to the village because they had hurt his dog. A few days later the villagers went up to the old man's house and asked to know what was going on but the old man wouldn't say that it was him.

The villagers animals slowly began dying and their crops failed. Insects appeared out of nowhere and stung their children but still the old man wouldn't say it was him. Then one day it all stopped, the village went all dark and it was gone forever."

Chitose looked at him wide eyed, "Sae and Yae's daddy has white hair Itsuki! What if he's like the old man in the story and hurts everyone in the village?"

"Don't be silly, it's only a story. Besides, the people deserved it for being so mean to the old man and his dog. There's a lesson to be learned isn't there? You should always be nice to everyone and everything even if they look different from you. Right?" Itsuki explained.

"Right! I won't be mean to anyone Itsuki!"

He smiled at her. His little sister was so kind, she shouldn't have to live in a village where they hurt people to save themselves. He only hoped that he could teach her well enough that when Mutsuki was gone that she wouldn't become angry or bitter to have lost her brother because of some stupid hole in the ground.

After that both Chitose and Mutsuki started to nod off but Itsuki stayed awake. Somehow he wasn't tired. Would he ever be able to sleep again? It didn't seem as though he would, at this moment anyway. Still he lied down on the mat beside his siblings and closed his eyes. What would the ritual be like? What would happen to him if the ritual failed? What about Chitose? Itsuki didn't really have any answers for himself, everything got all mixed in together somewhere along the way. At some point he fell asleep though he had nightmares throughout the entire rest of the night.

"Itsuki? Come on, time to get up," Mutsuki's voice said.

The older Tachibana twin sat up quickly, almost colliding with his brother in his eagerness to check if everything was alright. _Of course it is. The ritual hasn't taken place yet _he scolded himself.

"Where's Chitose? She didn't wake up before us did she? What if she accidently got lost?"

Mutsuki smiled at him, "I brought her back to her room O-nii-chan."

"Oh, alright."

Itsuki nodded to reassure himself more than anything.

"Itsuki...It's okay," Mutsuki murmured.

The boy shook his head making his longish black hair move along with his head, "No it isn't. I don't want to perform the ritual Mutsuki. I want to run away. I can't do it. I can't kill you..."

Mutsuki smiled at him again then embraced him, "Don't worry O-nii -chan, everything will be okay. I'll be a butterfly right? I'll watch over you and Chitose."

Itsuki tried not to cry, his brother was the one dying, not him. Regardless of his efforts tears started trickling out of his eyes onto his brother's shoulder.

"I don't want you to die Otouto..."

Mutsuki laughed and Itsuki could feel his chest rising and falling beneath his head. Soon they were crying together, albeit quietly as to not wake Chitose.

"I'm going to miss you nii-chan...but if we don't do this Yae and Sae will have to suffer and I don't want them to."

"No...neither do I...I hate this stupid ritual..." Itsuki whispered.

"It sure is ridiculous isn't it? I don't believe in the Hellish Abyss, it's just a story."

The older boy finally pulled away and stood up, "Come on, let's go check on Chitose."

Mutsuki got up too and they started to walk down the hall. Itsuki looked around the house and saw it for the first time as it really was; old and rundown. Tachibana house had looked as good as Kurosawa house at one point but now that the twin's parents had gone away there was nobody to take care of it properly; they were just children after all. This is what Itsuki had to look forward to once Mutsuki was gone. Peace and quiet, solitude and lonliness. But he had to stop thinking such dark thoughts, as his brother had said, everything would be all right. However, with the ritual soon approaching he couldn't help but let himself be sad about it.

* * *

gah. I'll end it there for now. took me a long time to update no:P you should see the state of me other fics... guilty look Anyhow, i hope you enjoyed this chappie and the next chapter will be my own little interpretation of what the cleansing is and then of course the ritual. Oh right, in case you don't know, O-nii-san/chan is older brother and Otouto-chan/san is younger brother. Onigiri is basically riceballs and they're usually lunch or a food you take if you're going on an outing somewhere(looked it up on the net). I think that's all...until next time, ja ne! 


End file.
